100 Battles
by Sorceress of Shadows
Summary: Every life and every battle is a story, and every story can be described in a word. These are some of them. (100 Themes Challenge by cleverun on DeviantArt. Various genres, various ratings.) Most recent theme: Frustration: An rather annoying, unusually clueless Princess Zelda is captured by Ganondorf.
1. Understanding

**A/N: What's that, my lovelies? You say I have other stories I need to work on?**

**...You must be experiencing a memory lapse. I recall no other stories.**

**Which leads us to this! This here 100 Themes Chalenge was created by **_**cleverun **_**of DA. Check her out; she's cool. An'ways, I'm picking these out via luck of the draw-that's right; I've got a hat with numbers 1-100 here. This dictates the theme, except in special cases (including, but not limited to, the following: wrong music is playing; I don't freakin' wanna do that theme right now; ooh, I'm inspired about this theme.) And well...the very first theme is an exception. Awesome.**

**Universe of the oneshot: Ocarina of Time (the aftermath)**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Understand_

Sometimes, he stares off into the distance, and his eyes are sad and old, the way no ten-year old's should ever be.

Of course, he tells her exactly what happened to give his eyes that far-off look; after all, she was as involved in the events as he was (beyond that, she commands the Triforce of Wisdom, and soon, the kingdom of Hyrule. Denying her answers isn't wise.) And though she doesn't remember the tale as he does, she believes him, because she always has.

She knows this.

o0o

He tells her about the guide who stepped in his shadow. How the words and the songs gave him courage, light. How the Sheikah had saved his life and vice-versa.

And she, after that story, receives a pang of nostalgia when she glances at her nursemaid, Impa; sees crimson eyes and dirty bandages in her dreams. Simple melodies, played on a harp, waft in from every dark space in the castle, playing for her and him, and her and him alone.

She finds the harp in the dusty annals of her tower later, and she remembers.

o0o

In a few short days, he finds the end of the story. By the time, his eyes seem as ancient as the Triforce itself, and she can see jagged scars everywhere.

Some of them aren't even on his body.

He tells his legend with a clear, strong voice, though, a voice much like himself. And he never allows himself to cry, though above others, he surely deserves it most.

But still, he needs to leave.

He says he owes his life to his little companion, and he, Hylian in body, but Kokiri at heart, cannot imagine existence without her-not after waiting so long to find her.

She's his friend, his guardian, the mother he never had sent from the father he never had. Her sudden departure is some heavy shroud of guilt and grief.

His adventure is his motivation's, too.

So when the hero drops his head, voice breaking, the princess doesn't have to say anything; she merely lays her hand on top of his and averts her gaze away from the tears rolling down his cheeks.

He doesn't react, but he knows she understands.

o0o

**A/N: And so it begins.**


	2. Pregnancy

**A/N: And the lucky lottery number is...Crap! Not this one! *Relottos***

**... *And again, and again, and again, until...***

**Screw it. No lotto. Theme 69 (har har har, funny)! I chooseth you!**

**Universe: Uh...Any universe in which some after-battle cleanup is required. With...adults. Maybe post OoT...? With the Zelda who remained in the future?**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Pregnancy_

She had been worried, at first; in fact, when she first heard the news from one of the doctors (of high standing, from a wealthy family), she had, after bidding the doctor good day and retiring to her chambers, burst into tears.

How could she have been expected to raise a child in such a wartorn world? Unthinkable, at best. After all, the strength of the seal on Ganondorf was precarious; he could return at any time and place her child in danger, the child that _she _had brought about, at least partway.

Of course, she has few fears this morning, the sun streaming in through the glass door of the balcony, her husband's large hand resting on her swollen stomach.

"No more nightmares?" He asks.

She places her own delicate fingers on top of his. "No, no more."

"She will be fine, you know." Her husband rubs her belly gently.

Zelda giggles at his actions. "How could she not be? She has you as a father."

"And you as a mother." He takes her hand, kissing it like a suitor. "My Zelda," he murmurs. "Beautiful. Strong. The bravest woman I know." Adressing her unborn daughter, he continues, "You're lucky, you know that? And so am I..."

"Oh, stop it; you are acting as you did when you drank all of that champagne." She shoves him, lightly, then stands, slowly and carefully, blonde hair shining. "Now, arise. There is much to be done, you understand? A kingdom does not stop with a queen's monthly cycle."

"Of course, of course," he chuckles, also getting to his feet. He gives her a fond kiss, bending to do the same to her bellybutton. "I'll be off, then. The guards won't yell at themselves." With that, he takes his leave.

Left alone, she turns to face the window, mouth set in a soft smile.

No, there is nothing to fear. Not now.

o0o

**A/N: Me: Hey, Imma write a drabble about a worried pregnant Zelda! :D**

**Fingers: *NOHPE. FLUFF TIEM.* ^w^**

**Me: *Why would you do that* D'X**

**Yeah...that turned out different than I thought, but I had muchas fun with it. Who do you think His Royal Highness, King Mystery Husband is? Only I can say...but you can guess! I may say...**


	3. Save

**A/N: Me: I'm gonna update this every day!**

**Life: LOL NOPE. :D**

**Sorry about that...anyways, C'mere, cleverun and Moon White Rose; let me hug you. Biiiig hugs. I love you guys so much it's like a physical ache. TTwTT**

**This one was inspired half by this one picture (can't remember the name of it, but it had Zelda, Link, and Ghirahim in it and was amazing) on DA, and half by watching **_**Scrubs**_**, which is where almost all of my (probably innacurate) info about hospitals comes from. Har dee har har.**

**Universe: A world in which Link never had anything absolutely depressing happen to him...oh, wait. He's mute in this one. Never mind. Eh, a world in which Link had an actual good life is physically impossible anyways. ;D**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Save_

His name was Link. The blood of legendary heroes coursed through his veins, or at least that was what his family tree said. He didn't consider himself much of a hero, but he wasn't concerned with that. He was duty-oriented and humble, and the only thing that mattered now was the here and the now, the here and the now being his patient, the esteemed Miss Harkinian.

His brow furrowed as one of the nurses, a green-eyed, caring woman, handed him the results of the bloodwork; he examined them briefly, then glanced back at the young lady sitting on one of the chairs in the office of the afore-mentioned nurse, who put her hand on Link's shoulder.

"Break the news...gently, Link; don't scare her."

The young man nodded, giving her a small, sad smile that the nurse (being one of Link's closest friends) understood as _I will, Ilia. I will. _

o0o

"Ah, Doctor..." The blonde's gaze fell to his nametag. "...Carleone You got the results, I presume?"

Link nodded, then held up a finger to signal her to wait a moment, taking out a pen and small notebook, upon which he wrote a quick message. _I did._

Miss Harkinian accepted his lack of speech with grace. "And...?"

This was the hard part, telling them the truth. Seeing the looks on their faces when he told them that they _might _have a life-threatening condition, the devastation when they were informed that the life threatening condition_ could _be, of all things, cancer...this was not why he had become a doctor. He didn't respond, and the lady's graceful smile became tense. "It's...it's something...dangerous, isn't it?"

Link's eyes widened, and he scribbled, fast, _No, we just want to run a few more tests. More than likely, you have nothing to worry about._

"And if I do?"

Link exhaled slowly, quietly. _We'll see. Don't be afraid. You'll be all right._

o0o

It's cancer.

o0o

A few weeks later, he walke into the same hospital, his silver tennis shoes, emblazoned with the country's symbol, squeaking on the antiseptic-cleaned tiles.

"Link." One of the senior doctors, Rauru, strode over to his protegee. "Congratulations on diagnosing your patient. You've saved her life. Any longer, and..."

Link shrugged and grinned it off as if to say it was nothing.

"She would like to see you."

o0o

She sat up in her hospital bed as he entered. "Oh...Dr. Carleone."

_Enough with the formalities. Please, just call me Link. _

"Link..." The woman mused. "...Then I would like you to call me Zelda."

_Zelda it is, then. _

"At any rate, Link..." She turned away, a light flush coating her cheeks. "...Oh, my. I'm quite nervous." She turned her blue, searching eyes back on Link, serious. "...Thank you. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

_I'm just glad we caught it in the early stages. But you're welcome._

"Yes, well..." Zelda scrutinized his form. "Pardon me, but...have we met before? You seem so familiar."

Link made a face that clearly said "I dunno." He then smirked slightly, penning the words _they say I'm related to heroes. Former life?_

Zelda pondered this. "...Yes, I believe so. Regardless, I am in your debt." Standing shakily and making her way over to him, she kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

Link patted her back, flashed her a grin, then made his way out of the room, estatic about his saving her life, and her enthusiastic response.

Family trees don't lie.

o0o

**A/N: Link's last name is a reference to that one snobby RP I was involved in, and because I couldn't think of one that wasn't stupid. He married a woman with the surname of "Carleone" in said RP. No, I'm not suggesting he's married in this one. He's not.**

**I snuck in Zelink. Apocalypse now commencing. *Explosion***


	4. Guilt

**A/N: Welp. :I Not much to say here. Except for that this is the theme I made to replace the word "time!" (There were two of them. :3)**

**Universe: OoT... *Sigh* I really need to branch out...**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Guilt_

She is a monster, born.

After all, she is a creation of Ganondorf Dragmire, the powerful sorcerer who lusted after the Triforce. Her only purpose is to aid him in this, and, like a good puppet, she obeys.

Even given this, though, she is disappointed with herself. She could have done better than this. She is...terrible, and somewhere in her animal mind, she realizes this.

Her children. She'd let her own children die for her. And as if that were not enough, she had sent them to do it. The children she had cared for, that she had brought into existence _during battle, _of all places, she had killed.

Making small, creening noises from her position, she continues to mourn.

Then the boy enters the room. She had been watching him the whole time, stealing spider-like through the wooden labyrinth. He wasn't skilled with a sword at all, but he had still managed to defeat her children and send them into an eternal sleep. He had their blood on his hands. The thought arrests her.

_He _was responsible for this. _He _would pay. She creeps ever closer, until he notices her, at which point she drops, hoping to frighten him.

She succeeds. He gasps, takes a step back, and at once she is on him, hurting him.

He fights back, though, blinds her with a Deku Nut then shoves his blade in her eye, and she retreats to the ceiling to deliver even more of her children to their graves. They injure him as well, but in exchange, he kills them.

So she ends it, shoves him into a wall, watches the life drain from his face as he struggles weakly, his fairy screaming and bobbing around him in quick, frenzied arcs. Not amused at its actions, she lifts a large pincher and grabs the fairy mid-dive, squeezes it until it explodes in a shiny blue cloud of the blood and dust from whence it came.

And, immediately, her mind returns, and she is ashamed. She had killed an ten-year old boy, an innocent child and his fairy companion, both of whom had only been following orders, much like she.

She wins, but she loses so much in the process.

o0o

**A/N: Queen Gohma is cool.**

**Also, I don't think Link would fall to her, but plot, heyhey.**

**AND ALSO, I DO NOT-I REPEAT, DO **_**NOT **_**HATE NAVI. And I better not get a whole section of comments saying "lol, thx for killing navi," I will see to it that you are called a not very nice name, to quote The Stupendous Jimbo.**

**Watch your step, Navi-haters...watch it good. e^e**


	5. Superior

**A/N: Now, about this one...I love the Deku Scrubs in FSA. They win. The end. I mean, these guys deserve a medal for loyalty.**

**Also, apologies for the swearing. Cover your eyes, children! And I can't remember exactly why the Deku Scrubs were digging a tunnel...gimme a break. I'm on a train with no Internet service. I can't research this stuff. :/**

**Universe: Four Swords Adventures. In the Lost Woods.**

**OH CRAP I FORGOT THE DISCLAIMER I DON'T OWN LOZ DON'T SUUUUUE.**

**100 Battles**

_Superior_

_"I adore Lord Ganon, but that shadowy guy who looks like you ain't so great."_

Seriously, this guy. This. Guy.

"I'm goin', I'm goin'!" I fixed the (evil, disrespecting, no-good) shadow with a glare. "Don't rush me, _pi!_"

Unimpressed, he crossed his arms. "Hurry up, scrubshit."

My sap boiled at the slur. "'Scrubshit?!' I'm gonna take my shovel to your ass!"

He looked me up and down, gaze cold. Finally, he drawled, "Don't make me call Lord Vaati. Or..." He grinned, whispered, "..._Or Lord Ganon._"

I gasped, then began digging, fast as I could. If the great Ganon were to hear of this...! The shame! Never mind the consequences, the agony of having the disapproval of the best thing that ever happened to the Deku race was too much to bear.

See, we were making a tunnel. Through this tunnel, we would spread our influence to the rest of Hyrule...and it would become a Dark World, just like Lord Ganon intended...ah! So perfect! That world would be so perfect! We wouldn't be confined to the woods...we could thank Lord Ganon in-the thought sent a shiver up my wooden frame-in _person! My holy gods!_

"Oi, scrubshit." A boot connected with my side-huge surprise, it was Mr. I'm-A-Fabulous-Bigshot-And-You're-Nothing's. "Stop daydreaming."

o0o

"Stupid punk thinks he's soooo great. For the love of Lord Ganon! Who does he think he is, _pi_?!"

"He don't think at _all_."

"Heh, got that right, _pi_."

The three of us were seated around a stump, exchanging goods and news, goods being rupees and honey, news being, of course, Shadow Link...who, at this point, wasn't news as much as he was a job hazard.

"Someone needs to put that guy in his place, if he's gonna keep parading around like he's better than us." Scubba leaned on the shovel she took everywhere; after all, she had been the one to capture the great fairy and force a better one out of it-put something down for even a second here in the Lost Woods and it's gone.

"Yeah... hey, you know those four guys who were just here? They look just like him. They got swords, _pi,_" Decht commented.

"Ain't we supposed to be putting a stop to four guys...?"

"Nah, can't be t_hose _four guys, _pi._ They offered to help us. Can't be that bad, _pi_."

"Yeah, well, maybe they'll teach him a little lesson with them pretty blades. They didn't seem to like 'im either."

"I hope so, _pi. _'Cause he's got another thing comin' if he thinks he's superior to _us_."

o0o

**A/N: Short'n'crappy is my middle name! :D**

**And I love Shadow Link, I really do, but he's so rude and mean... :c**


	6. Thirst

**A/N: If there was another theme I could pair with this, it would be "irony." :3 Or "careless." In fact...thirst barely plays a part in this...danggit. c'_'c**

**Also, I need to write about someone other than Link and/or Zelda. Ffft. :P**

**Universe: Spirit Tracks. Love that game. 'Bout time I wrote something for that. O_O**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Thirst_

The Ocean Temple was not designed for comfort.

Of course, none of the temples were; it was just an observation.

"Hey, Link," I called. "Why don't we take a break?" I floated in front of him. "You look tired."

I wasn't lying. Blood stains, and not small ones, either, dotted his tunic, and one side of his face was swollen and bruised from being knocked around by the whip-wielding warriors who inhabited the temples, and while the purples complemented the brown of his eyes, the results weren't beautiful in the slightest.

It was one of the few occasions when I was glad I hadn't a solid body to injure. Though the idea of Malladus inhabiting my body instead...no, I would rather have the bruises.

Anyways...

My hero shrugged. "Eh, why not?" With that, he retreated to a corner and placed his sword and shield on the ground gently, then sat cross-leged next to him; he pulled out a loaf of bread and some cheese and quickly began to consume them.

I, lacking a body, couldn't sit without the risk of falling through the floor, so I hovered just beside him, simultaneously keeping him company and watching for sudden ambushes. "Do you have a potion?" I'd stayed in the train the last time he'd bought supplies, so I wasn't sure if he had bought any or not. Probably not-he did have a careless streak that manifested itself when he attempted to think about his own wellbeing.

"Nope," he replied, not pausing in his eating. "I forgot."

"Of course you did." I sighed.

"Mmph."

Once he'd finished the food, he took out his canteen, then shook it slowly, an expression of dawning horror crossing his face. "Oh, for the love of..." He swore. "There's no water in here."

"You're thirsty?"

"Well, yeah. Kinda the reason I took this out..."

"Well...we're nearly done. You can get water then..."

"Right..." He nodded, then stood up. Presently, he began to laugh, much to my confusion.

"What is it, Link?" He chuckled. "Just thinking...of all the times to be thirsty...we are in the _Ocean Temple. _There is water _all around us. _And I'm _thirsty._"

I giggled in spite of myself. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well...on with the temple."

o0o

**A/N: And that is how you royally miss a theme, and instead write a oneshot on something else. Take notes, kids, this is on the quiz. Extra credit if you can identify that the cause of not changing either the theme or the oneshot is laziness.**


	7. Body

**A/N: Time for one of the oneshots I actually had planned, heh...I've looked forward to this. |3**

**Universe: OoT.**

**100 Battles**

_Body_

Sometimes, Zelda tries to convince herself that she's happy this way. She runs her hands across her smooth legs, up her developing curves, over her chest. She wears her dresses without complaint, and when she begins bleeding, a week after her thirteenth birthday, (a process that, to her surprise and displeasure, occurs every month thereafter,) she bites her lip and bears it, not out of the pain, though it is there, insistently, but out of the knowledge that _this is wrong and shouldn't be happening to me._

Once, when she was four, she asked why she wasn't allowed to wear pants, or carry a sword like the knights did. She said that dresses were for girls, and that she was not a girl; everyone but Impa had stared at her as though she had turned into a Stalfos right before their eyes, then awkwardly turned the conversation to her father's excellent diplomatic feat at the last meeting with the Gerudo.

Later, she'd asked Impa again. Her nursemaid had merely sighed, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Life will be hard for you, Zelda," she had said, not answering the question.

o0o

In time, she learned that she was, genetically, a girl, and she hated herself for it, she hated her father and her mother for having her, an immature part of her thinking that they had chosen, out of malicious intent, to make her a girl, and she hated her body the worst.

She asked her red-eyed, tearstained reflection so many questions when she was a teenager, arms crossed to hide those disgusting, unnatural breasts. What's wrong with me? Do the goddesses hate me? Why can't I be a boy? Why can't I be happy being a girl?

And then she screamed and threw a rock at the mirror, which shattered with a loud crash, alerting Ganondorf's minions to she and Impa's whereabouts and necessitating a hasty escape.

And then Impa formed a plan, a marvelous, wonderful plan to solve _everything._

o0o

She loved her breast bindings, painful though they were. She loved the Sheikah uniform, and most of all, she loved the pronoun _he. _The phrase "young man" that everyone used to describe _him._

And for five glorious years, Zelda was Sheik and she was he.

Of course, the Hero of Time eventually awoke, slayed the evil plaguing the temples, and forced _Zelda _to reveal _herself._

She tried not to hate Link for it. It wasn't his fault that Zelda was a man in a woman's body. The fallacy, she reflects later, could never have lasted anyway. She had a kingdom to take back, and nobody wanted a queer as their leader.

o0o

So she is a woman, and she is a queen. She is married and she loves her husband.

(Secretly, though, she wants to marry the beautiful, intelligent Zoran princess she had met on several occasions, wants to father her children and rule beside her, but that is the role of a prince, and she is not even a man; besides, Link has the mermaid-like girl's heart.)

She doesn't want to be bitter, though, so she contents herself with hating her body.

o0o

**A/N: TRANSSEXUAL ZELDA FTW! X3**

**Do I see OoT Zelda as a transexual? (Or is it transgender?) Naw, though it does answer a few questions about in-game events. If she is transexual, though, I feel bad for her...poor thing. :(**


	8. Tranquility

**A/N: I'm convinced that writer's block doesn't just show up; no, it breaks down the door, beats your face against the keyboard, drags you into an alley all the way across the city, beats you black and blue, mugs you, and leaves you there, broken and blind, just as it starts to rain.**

…**Farore, that's a little morbid. O_O But it's true, ainnit?**

**This one is inspired by Above & Beyond and OceanLab's "On A Good Day", acoustic version. Check that out.**

…**I just may have stole Link's characterization from Shadsie's **_**National Anthem **_**OoT Link. Check that out too.**

**Universe: Post…some game or other. Link's got a real nice house, at any rate. :3**

o0o

**100 Battles**

_Tranquility_

The hero wakes. He slept through the night, no twilight leers, no haunting laughter. The realization of this fact, though, is enough to bring the dreams about.

The hero shuts his mind. Or he tries, maybe.

He lifts the blanket off him, maneuvers his way through the dark house to the kitchen, leans over the sink, splashes a handful of water on his scruffy face. Eyes shut from the burning contact of sleepy eyes on liquid, he feels around the counter 'till his hand finds the thin neck of his faithful amber friend, because he knows it's always been there and he can trust it, more than he can trust me.

Then he opens the drapes above the basin, all the way. The hero scans the window and proposes to go outside, because he is not dead yet.

He can still find peace. I want to believe that.

His bare feet hit the deck, he sits on a wooden bench. His friend is clutched in the fist that used to wield a sacred sword. He might not be able to do that anymore-maybe he would like to, but I don't know that his friend lets him.

The world is blue, the way it always is before dawn. There's nothing to give light except a few fading stars, but he can see just fine.

There's not much left in his friend, so he drains it and sets the glass remains beside him. That's it. He says he won't be using it anymore; of course, he said that a couple of months ago, too.

Din prepares to toss her flaming orb across Nayru's sky so it can illuminate Farore's perfect forest. They do this every morning, and the hero can see the beginnings. He hasn't died yet, after all, so maybe he can find something here. I would say he will.

The sun sends rays of light streaming through the air. They enter the bottle—it's just a bottle now—and exit as a rainbow.

The hero sees this and smiles.

He's happy here, I think.

**o0o**

**Don't ask. Trying a new writing style. Also, Link's "friend" is alcohol. …You could tell, right? D:' Don't drink away your problems, kids!**

**Also, I leave it to you to decide the narrator. Hoorah.**


	9. Misfortune

**A/N: And this one is inspired by Leonard Cohen's "Joan of Arc", which I think you should listen to while you read this. It can apparently be interpreted as a reference to heroin.**

**I'm not using that here. Link is not a drug; she is a Hylian. …Yes, she.**

**Universe: One I made up.**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Misfortune_

Link sat down in the middle of the path and wept bitterly for herself.

She had not expected trials. She had began an adventure, a simple one that had been repeated so many times before that it was no longer legend, but simply a thing that came with her name. She was but another literal link in a metaphorical daisy chain; she just had the miserable luck to be one of the few females. Her village was far from the rest of the world, a fantasyland where they treated the women as they did the men, but this village, her hometown, was not Hyrule. _This _was Hyrule.

She had tried to change the stigma, when she had begun; she could not have been faulted for lack of trying. She showed the courage on the back of her hand and was denounced a witch. Officials tried to burn her as they had the rest; but she was different then her predecessors, and she escaped. Her hands were bloody now, and her face was strewn across the kingdom, detailed likeness hung upon old brown parchment offering rewards for her capture.

So she cried here in the dark, and when she wiped the tears away the soot smeared and left tracks like war paint below her eyes, but she knew that she was not a warrior, simply an unfortunate girl.

She was tired, so tired of this. She wanted to believe that this would soon be over, that as soon as she had moved a few more miles down the dirt trail, she would see the castle glimmering brightly in the distance. She knew, though, somewhere, that the path extended forever, and she would always be walking down it, because no self-respecting rancher would give her a horse to sooth her tired feet-and she could not steal, and she could not rest because around every other tree she encountered in this forest there must be another patrol ready to spring upon her.

At least, not until now. She could not take it; her legs had turned to the strawberry jelly her older sister used to spread upon her toast when she had been little, and she had been forced to sit, and with the sitting came the sobs.

"Why do you cry, girly?" The voice wasn't hot or cold, but warm and friendly.

She sniffled and made more war paint with the saltwater coursing down her cheeks. "I'm not…" She gasped, or hiccupped, or both. "…Who…who are you?" Too exhausted to be afraid, she could only be a bit curious.

"I've been called a lot of things, sweetheart, now who are _you?_" It was a young man's voice, and it beckoned for some trust. A voice like home.

"I don't have a name…" Weariness had allowed her some control, and she leaned against a thick old oak.

"Ah, but darling, everyone has a name."

The girl with the auburn hair draped a hand over her stomach. "My name is Link. What's yours?" Her head drooped. She wanted to sleep; she hadn't slept in ages.

"Shaan," The boy said without hesitation, appearing from between the trees with his arms crossed behind his head in a casual manner. "It's nice to meet you."

"Mm-hm." She slept then, the first time in three days. A good sleep.

o0o

She was woken later to white-hot pain and a sound familiar to her after so many hostile Hylian towns.

When she looked down and saw the spear buried deep in her stomach, she wasn't so surprised as she thought she might be. She looked up at the boy she'd trusted enough to fall asleep by, hazel eyes reflecting her distress. But no astonishment. Just distress.

He knelt beside her. "Dolly…" He whispered, so low, so gentle that he might have been be trying to comfort her. He put a hand on hers. "Dolly, I said I was many things. One of those things is a man of the law." His eyes said he might be sorry, but the posters with the 500 rupee reward tag said otherwise.

Link's eyes remained locked with his, large; they judged him with their threatened tears even as her last breath came out as a tight sigh.

The boy, Shaan, carried her up the mountain, all the way to His Lordship Ganondorf. She hadn't been so far, really. But it was just another misfortune. Trivial, really.


	10. Hunger

**A/N: I just finished Phantom Hourglass. What to do now…?**

**Why, write some Dark/Link. Duuuh. Isn't that what you all do? (It's funny; a couple of years ago, I wouldn't touch this pairing. It grew on me. Slowly. Like a fungus.)**

**Three words about the music of this chapter: Dark World Jazz.**

**Universe: Not OoT, actually. A made up one.**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Hunger_

"Hey," the blonde said, smiling cheerfully as he opens the door for his companion. "Thanks for coming!"

"Yeah, yeah," the ebony-haired boy mumbled. "You practically dragged me here, Link."

Link laughed. "Well, yeah! We just saved the entire world! We need to celebrate!" With that, he entered.

This was a bar, but it was civilized enough, for all the people in it. In the corner, a small band was playing some sort of jazz song; a few dainty tables with some occupied tables surrounded the ensemble. But Link's intent was clear-taking his friend's arm, he strode over to the counter and took a seat, said friend filling the one beside him; the blue-eyed hero raised his arm, _still smiling that stupid smile of his. _"One please, Talon! The usual!" He paused, tossing a red rupee on the table. "…But I think Dark here wants something stronger, you know?"

The young man scowled. "The strongest thing you have here."

It wasn't long before the bartender comes around with the beverages-Link's a chalky white, Dark's a deep brown. Link thanked the man, before adding to his order. "Oh, and something to eat. We just saved the world! We're starving!" A couple of people drifted towards him at the claim, and he flexed his muscles in a comedic manner. "Yeah, it's true. So it's this bright, perfect-" Dark began tuning him out.

He was so goddess damn _cheerful _all the time; it had become very annoying, very fast. Of course…Dark was the reason behind it, mostly, being a veritable siphon of negative energy, but still-gah! He couldn't wait to leave this place! With this thought in mind, he took a sip of his drink, enjoying the burn it left in his throat. Goron Ale was simply the best.

Oh, and here was the promised sustenance. The shadow nudged the hero. "Hey."

Link turned, grinned innocently. "We were just talking about you. How you help me out 'n' stuff now."

Dark grunted noncommittally. "Food's here." He returned his attention to a blank spot on the wall above the taps, ignoring the strange sensation that had just washed over him-it felt like his innards had disappeared for a moment…but they had reappeared quickly, though the lightheadedness remained. It was probably just hunger talking, but…hunger couldn't explain this burning sensation smoldering about his cheeks.

Another long sip of ale was taken. A very long sip. "Just hungry…" he muttered, beginning to shovel down the chowder.

"Huh?" It was-surprisingly enough-everyone's favorite legendary hero. Joy.

"It's nothing." His shadow frowned, giving his counterpart a steely glare. "Now stop smiling like that."

**o0o**

**And now I go to bed. :3**


	11. Frustration

**A/N: Once upon a last night, Sorcie drew a picture of Zelda, and Zelda turned out looking rather…bratty. So, this. Think Mila. XD**

**Universe: Obviously none you know.**

**o0o**

**100 Battles**

_Frustration_

The young lady, if she could be called thus, pouted. Oh, this was awful; the whole _day _was ruined, and all because of this despicable Gerudo. This thought in mind, she fanned herself delicately, giving her captor a look that clearly stated that he was the worst person in the world.

(By most accounts, he was. But that was beside the point.)

The man stared back, unimpressed, and, frankly, a bit irritated. Every Zelda was annoying in her efforts to keep her bit of the Triforce away from him, but this one in particular had him fuming. Since he'd captured her, early that morning, she'd not mentioned the Triforce, the hero, or himself once—did she not know who he was? Who _she _was?

(He'd encountered something like that before, with the pirate rat, but nothing of this magnitude.)

In fact, all she'd done so far was complain. The food was cold. The bed wasn't made. He was ruining her favorite dress, and it was _brand new, _and now it had several tears in it. Also, what business did he have decimating her soldiers and stealing her on such a lovely day?!

(Nayru help him, for the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom, she was completely clueless, not to mention ridiculously spoiled. He had been generous in allowing her to move about the top of the tower of her own free will.)

She'd started up again, still fanning away. "…And the day was going _so _well before you came. Ugh, even Chancellor Cole was better about that; why don't you wait for a rainy day?"

Ganondorf held up a hand. "Stop, child. You've been kidnapped before?"

Zelda's glare hardened at his lack of knowledge. "Yes," she said, as though it were obvious. Raising a hand primly, she began to count off. "I've been kidnapped by Cole, Vaati, Dark Link, Ghirahim, Bellum, and…" she thought for a moment. "…no, that's it."

The King of Evil let his eyes widen, jaw slaken. Some of those were _his _minions! What right did they have to go after his prize? "What…Zelda! What did they want from you?"

Unhappy at the idea of explaining, the princess sighed. Honestly, where had _he _been for the last twelve years? What an idiot… "The Triforce. What else?" She propped her face up on her hand, bored.

Oh, finally. _Finally. _Unable to contain himself, the Gerudo crossed the room, mood shifted in an instant, and picked her up, shoving her against the wall roughly. "Wisdom…give it to me! Damn you, you brat, _give it to me!"_

Neither surprised nor amused, she huffed. "Put me down, you pig. I don't have it."

"Don't lie, girl; it never worked and it doesn't now." He'd calmed slightly, though he shook her slightly. "If you do not, then tell me, why does my piece resonat—"

Wait. It wasn't resonating. Horrified, Ganondorf grasped his hand with his other—though the three triangles were there, they did not burn as they had with all others like her. Tongues of fire snaked through his veins, fueled by his rage. "My—the Triforce…centuries spent waiting—Zelda!" He grabbed her hand, much to her displeasure, and held it against his own. Nothing. No electric reaction, no glow, no surge of golden light. She truly didn't have it.

"I told you," she said, ripping her arm away. "I don't have it. It chose Daphnes."

"You…you are the Princess of Destiny…Zelda…how can this be?!"

She scowled and sat down. Goddesses, today would never get better, would it? "I'm sorry," she sneered, then continued waspishly, "but _your _princess is in another castle."

The older man turned away as the skies darkened, a manifestation of his hatred. "You…" he began, voice ominous. "You will hang for this."

Zelda merely smoothed her dress, snapped her fan shut. "Do it. You couldn't make this day worse if you tried."

o0o

**A/N: *SHOT FOR USE OF STUPID MEME* **


End file.
